Tommy Wiseau

Filmmaker / Actor

Born: 3 October 1968

Birthplace: ?

Best known as: The guy who made the bad cult film The Room

Tommy Wiseau is the writer, producer, director and star of The Room, a 2003 movie that has earned a cult following because of an "it's so bad, it's good" reputation. Hard facts on Wiseau are hard to come by, and part of his schtick with the press is to be cagey about his origins and training -- while clearly giving the impression he's not from around here. Reports of Wiseau as an actor and as a real person say he's like Christopher Walken in a fright wig, delivering stilted dialog in a vaguely European accent, after consuming maybe too much cough syrup. The Room, which Wiseau financed himself, was released in Los Angeles in 2003. Despite bad reviews, it caught on as a midnight movie in several U.S. cities, and by 2009 it had become a modern-day Rocky Horror Picture Show, with repeat viewers yelling at the movie screen while dressed as the movie's characters. After The Room had achieved cult status, Wiseau claimed he'd meant it as a comedy, but most viewers don't see it that way. The buzz around the film was furthered by Wiseau's reluctance to talk about his background and the murky circumstances of how he raised $6 million to make a boldly amateurish movie. His newfound fame as an oddball led to a short film, The House That Drips Blood on Alex (2009) and projects-in-the-works with the creators of cable TV's Tim and Eric's Awesome Show Great Job.